Network function virtualization (NFV) is a network architecture concept that virtualizes entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that can connect, or chain together, to create communication services. The NFV architecture includes virtual network functions (VNFs) which are software implementations of network functions. A VNF can consist of one or more virtual machines running different software and processes, on top of high-volume servers, switches, and/or storage devices, instead of having custom hardware appliances for each network function.
Software-defined networking (SDN) technology is an approach to computer networking that allows network administrators to programmatically initialize, control, change, and manage network behavior dynamically via open interfaces and abstraction of lower-level functionality. SDN is meant to address the fact that the static architecture of traditional networks does not support the dynamic, scalable computing and storage needs of more modern computing environments, such as data centers. SDN can be used to decouple or disassociate the system that makes decisions about where traffic is sent from the underlying systems that forward traffic to the selected destination.